This invention relates to a bookbinding apparatus using a pasting process (hereinafter referred to as xe2x80x9cpasting-binding apparatusxe2x80x9d for simplicity""s sake) which carries out bookbinding by coating with paste each of paper sheets which have been subjected to an image forming process and ejected from an image forming apparatus one after another on a belt-shaped portion in the neighborhood of one side edge during the transport of the sheet, and to an image forming apparatus provided with the pasting-binding apparatus.
In recent years, it has been provided a pasting-binding apparatus which makes bookbinding by carrying out a pasting process on a predetermined position of paper sheets which have an image formed by an image forming apparatus such as a copying machine, a printer, and a compound machine of these.
For an apparatus for carrying out the pasting process, (1) an apparatus which ejects paste to a paper sheet using a paste ejecting nozzle, (2) an apparatus which is composed of a paste containing box provided with a rolling paste wheel having paste put on the outer periphery and carrying out contact transfer of the paste by bringing the outer periphery of the paste wheel into contact with a paper sheet, (3) a hot-melt coating apparatus which ejects from a nozzle a mixed material composed of a hot-melt agent (a heat-fusing agent) and heated compressed air, and so forth have been used.
A bookbinding apparatus which is noted in the publication of TOKUHYOSHO 59-500907 carries out book binding by a process comprising the steps of deflecting a paper sheet being conveyed in a first direction to a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and after that, coating the running paper sheet with paste on a line-shaped portion at the edge of it, and applying pressure after stacking and adjusting the sheet.
In the above-described pasting-binding apparatus, there are following problems:
(1) The portion for receiving bundles of paper sheets after pasting-binding becomes small, because the adjusting pressing means is disposed under the paste coating means.
(2) Since the pasting-binding apparatus is structured such that the sheet conveying direction is necessarily rotated by 90 degrees before the paste coating process, a binding direction of paper sheets can not be selected freely.
(3) The pasting-binding apparatus is made large-sized, by separately providing output paper trays for the bookbinding mode, and the other modes, for example, the shift paper ejection mode and the direct paper ejection mode which are different in the direction of paper ejection.
(4) The pasting-binding apparatus is made complex by the necessity of a paper ejection shifting function being separately provided.
(5) The pasting-binding for paper sheets subjected to a center-folding process or a Z-folding process can not be made.
(6) The direction of loading a cover sheet into the cover sheet feeding apparatus must be changed depending on the binding direction of the bundle of paper sheets.
(7) It is impossible to carry out pasting-binding after carrying out a folding process for a cover sheet.
(8) The sizes of the width and the depth of the pasting-binding apparatus are made larger because the means for converting the paper sheet direction and the means for coating paste are located approximately on the same plane.
(9) Because the paste-coated area is pressed by a pressing means after receiving and adjusting paper sheets in the paper accommodating section in a conventional pasting pressing means, the adjusting operation time is shortened in order to make the book binding process speed correspond to the transport speed of papers ejected from the image forming apparatus; therefore, accuracy of adjusting is lowered, and the produced quality of book binding is lowered.
(10) In a conventional pasting pressing means, book binding is made by pressure-bonding the paper sheets through applying pressure to the trailing edge of the topmost sheet simultaneously over the whole area of the line-shaped paste-coated portion formed on each of the sheets with a single pressing bar assembly having a shape of a bar; therefore, the pressing load is large, and a driving means having a large output is necessary.
(11) In a conventional pasting pressing means, uniform pressure can not be applied to the trailing edge of the line-shaped paste-coated area formed on the paper sheets, therefore the paste film thickness in the paste-coated area is easy to become uneven, and the produced quality of bookbinding is lowered.
It is an object of this invention, by solving the above-described problems, to improve the paste supplying means and the paste ejecting means of a pasting-binding apparatus, to accomplish the improvement of the produced quality of bookbinding of bundles of paper sheets having been subjected to an image forming process, to actualize making an apparatus small-sized and simplified, and to provide a pasting-binding apparatus having an excellent operational performance and an image forming apparatus provided with the pasting-binding apparatus.
The above object can be attained by the following structures.
90 degrees on a plane parallel to the conveying passage in accordance with the binding side of the sheet;
a pressing device to stack the sheet coated with the paste onto the bundle of sheets and to press the sheet onto the bundle of sheets; and
the conveying device to convey the sheet to the rotating device, to the paste coating device and to the pressing device.
90 degrees on a plane parallel to the conveying passage in accordance with the binding side of the sheet;
a pressing device to stack the sheet coated with the paste onto the bundle of sheets and to press the sheet onto the bundle of sheets; and
the conveying device to convey the sheet to the rotating device, to the paste coating device and to the pressing device.
Further, the above object may be attained by the following preferable structures.
(1) A pasting-binding apparatus of this invention to solve the above-described problems is one comprising a sheet rotating means (a rotating device) for holding a paper sheet and rotating it by 90 degrees against the conveying direction in the horizontal plane, a paste coating means (a paste coating device) for coating it with paste the paper sheet conveyed by a conveying means (a conveying device) on the line-shaped portion at the edge of the sheet, an adjusting-pressing means (a pressing device) for pressing the paper sheets having been coated with paste after stacking and adjusting them, and a paper sheet bundle stacking means (a sheet bundle stacking device) for ejecting and stacking the paper sheet bundles by pressing after adjusting, wherein said sheet rotating means is disposed at the upstream side of said paste coating means in the paper conveying direction.
(2) A pasting pressing method of a bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises the steps of coating with paste each of paper sheets conveyed on the straight-line-shaped or broken-line-shaped portion in the neighborhood of one side edge by a paste coating means, stacking the plural paper sheets having been coated with paste in a paper sheet receiving unit successively with one sheet on another, and pressing the trailing edge of the paste-coated portion of said plural paper sheets having been adjusted by an adjusting means in said paper sheet receiving unit for every one sheet or for every certain plural number of sheets by a pressing means.
(3) A bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises a paste coating means for coating with paste each of paper sheets conveyed by a conveying means on the line-shaped potion in the neighborhood of one side edge, a paper sheet receiving unit for receiving a plurality of paper sheets having been coated with paste to be placed one upon another, an adjusting means for adjusting said paper sheets received in said paper sheet receiving unit to a basic position, a pasting pressing means for pressing the trailing edge of the paste-coated portion of the paper sheets every time when one sheet or certain plural number of sheets are stacked in said paper sheet receiving unit, and a drive means for driving said pasting pressing means.
(4) A bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises a paste coating means disposed at a fixed position for coating each of paper sheets conveyed by a conveying means with paste on the line-shaped potion in the neighborhood of one side edge during the transport of the paper sheets, a paper sheet receiving unit for receiving a plurality of paper sheets having been coated with paste to be placed one upon another, a stopper means for truing up the leading edges of the sheets by bringing the leading edge portion of the paper sheets received in said paper sheet receiving unit into contact with it, an adjusting means for adjusting the paper sheets by bringing the paper sheets into contact with its one side which is parallel to the paper conveying direction, a pasting pressing means composed of a pressing member capable of revolving which moves while pressing the trailing edge of the paste-coated portion of the paper sheets every time when one sheet or certain plural number of sheets of said paper sheets to be received in said paper sheet receiving unit are stacked, and a drive means for driving said pasting pressing means.
(5) A bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises a paste coating means disposed at a fixed position for coating each of paper sheets conveyed by a conveying means with paste on the line-shaped potion in the neighborhood of one side edge during the transport of the paper sheets, a paper sheet receiving unit for receiving a plurality of paper sheets having been coated with paste to be placed one upon another, a stopper means for truing up the leading edges of the sheets by bringing the leading edge portion of the paper sheets received in said paper sheet receiving unit into contact with it, an adjusting means for adjusting the paper sheets by bringing the paper sheets into contact with its one side which is parallel to the paper conveying direction, a pasting pressing means composed of a pressing member which is supported in such a manner as to be able to move back and forth in the direction parallel to the paper conveying direction and has a cylindrical surface capable of oscillating, and a drive means for making said pasting pressing means do the back and forth moving and oscillating action.
(6) A bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises a paste coating means disposed at a fixed position for coating each of paper sheets conveyed by a conveying means with paste on the line-shaped potion in the neighborhood of one side edge during the transport of the paper sheets, a paper sheet receiving unit for receiving a plurality of paper sheets having been coated with paste to be placed one upon another, a stopper means for truing up the leading edges of the sheets by bringing the leading edge portion of the paper sheets received in said paper sheet receiving unit into contact with it, an adjusting means for adjusting the paper sheets by bringing the paper sheets into contact with its one side which is parallel to the paper conveying direction, a pasting pressing means composed of a pressing member (a pressing head) capable of moving up and down for pressing the trailing edge of the paste-coated portion of the paper sheets, and a drive means for driving said pasting pressing means.
(7) A bookbinding apparatus of this invention comprises a paste coating means disposed at a fixed position for coating each of paper sheets conveyed by a conveying means with paste on the line-shaped potion in the neighborhood of one side edge during the transport of the paper sheets, a paper sheet receiving unit for receiving a plurality of paper sheets having been coated with paste to be placed one upon another, a stopper means for truing up the leading edges of the sheets by bringing the leading edge portion of the paper sheets received in said paper sheet receiving unit into contact with it, an adjusting means for adjusting the paper sheets by bringing the paper sheets into contact with its one side which is parallel to the paper conveying direction, plural sets of pasting pressing means composed of a pressing member capable of moving up and down for pressing the trailing edge of the paste-coated portion of the paper sheets and a drive means, wherein said plural sets of pasting pressing means are capable of operating independently of one another, and are disposed in a manner such that the areas to be pressed by the pressing member of said plural sets of pasting pressing means overlaps partly one another, and each of the neighboring pressing members are made to operate alternately.
(8) An image forming apparatus of this invention has it connected, a bookbinding apparatus which is provided with a pasting pressing means as set forth in any one of the above-described paragraphs (3) to (7), and said bookbinding apparatus receives the paper sheets ejected from the image forming apparatus and carries out a pasting-binding process.